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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Last week, NESN.com writer Eric Ortiz wrapped this late Christmas gift for Sox fans everywhere: the chance to vote on the nickname for new first baseman Adrian Gonzalez! (As you know, all great sports nicknames are artificially manufactured online then put to a fan vote before the player actually plays a game for that team...).

But this wasn't the mortal sin committed by Ortiz as he attempts, rather successfully, to ignore baseball before the year 2004.

No, Ortiz decided to spit on Red Sox and baseball history just a bit more by claiming, "There will never be another Ted Williams, but Adrian Gonzalez is close."

I need to hand this one to Ortiz: his ploy to prod the already frustrated Yankees fan base worked wonders, at least in the case of this Cranky Yankee Fan. Once I finished cleaning my room from tossing every movable object around in pure outrage and shock, I looked up the numbers from that '27 Yankees team:

By the way, those Yankee stat lines, in case you (or Ortiz) wanted to look at -- oh I don't know -- actual performance?

Combs: .356/.414/.511, 6 HR, 64 RBI, 15 SB

Gehrig: .373/.474/.765, 47 HR, 175 RBI

Ruth: .356/.486/.772, 60 HR, 164 RBI

Lazzeri: .309/.383/.482, 18 HR, 102 RBI, 22 SB

If we toss in Meusel for good measure, that adds a none-too-pedestrian .337/.393/.510, 8 HR, 103 RBI, 24 SB.

I almost hate myself for needing to point this out. By arguing against this NESN blogger's homer hogwash, I almost dignify the idea that the 2011 Red Sox would compete with the 1927 Yankees for alleged "best team ever". But this had to be said -- it's too ridiculous a claim (ESPECIALLY before they've even won the World Series...OR EVEN REPORTED TO CAMP!).

The Ortiz blog on NESN.com is called "Instant Opinion."

I think it should be re-named "Instant Coffee." As in, crap.

And now, the Rundown...please save me from this insanity, Other Red Sox/Yankees News. Sigh...

The Yankees remain ahead of the Sox in ticket demand, according to this article by the Boston Herald.

The always-entertaining and informative Yankee U blog subscribes to the credo of Axl Rose: Patience.